Swollen front paw

Hello, new here.
i have a ~2 year old beauty named pumpkin. I've had her for over a year and she's a sassy girl.
A little over a month ago I noticed she was lifting up her front right paw when sitting up. A few days later her paw was swollen twice its normal size.
we took her to the vet around June 15th, they took X-rays and it seemed to just be swollen with crusty skin (on her toe pads or "beans") The first vet guessed it was a puncture of some sort. They gave her antibiotics and an anti inflammatory. We brought her back for a second visit and that doctor said it looked more like a burn.
It has recently swollen up again and there is some hair loss on the underside of her arm.

We have a dog as well but the dog is terrified of her, Pumpkin is indoor only and is up to date with vaccinations. Her behavior has changed a little, she isn't running as much and is laying in one spot more.
Any help is greatly appreciated as I'm at a loss.

It sounds very painful for her to have for over a month, poor thing. Too bad the vet couldn't help at all. All I could think of is something like a bee sting, or some foreign object embedded in the paw, maybe between the pads. But I imagine the doctor would have noticed something like that.

Is there anything in your house that would cause a burn, electric stove top, etc., that might account for the loss of hair under her arm too? The doctor mentioned a burn, did he give you anything to put on it? I imagine her behavior would change with pain in putting her foot on the ground, but I'm at a loss also. Even if the dog somehow bit her, the vet would certainly notice that.

Good luck with her, I hope she can get some relief. If I come across anything that may help you, I'll be sure to post it here. Welcome to the forum.

Thanks for your reply, nothing to put on the burn and no electric stove tops. I have no idea what could've burned her. The hair loss occurred in the past week so I believe she's pulling it out herself from excessive licking.

if your local vets can't find what's wrong with her its time to bring out the big guns. Take her to a vet teaching school or vet training hospital. There they will find the problem, they won't stop looking until the find the cause. They are no more expensive than a regular vet and sometimes even cheaper. You have nothing to loose by trying and you will get an answer.

he is your friend and protector, he will love you unconditionally, you owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion

if your local vets can't find what's wrong with her its time to bring out the big guns. Take her to a vet teaching school or vet training hospital. There they will find the problem, they won't stop looking until the find the cause. They are no more expensive than a regular vet and sometimes even cheaper. You have nothing to loose by trying and you will get an answer.

That's a good idea Linda, having the paw like that for over a month with no improvement demands answers and resolutions for the poor cat. Good luck Katiebug, hope it's not too serious and just something that was overlooked.

To be clear it did seem to be getting better for a while which is why she hasn't been back yet, i was just hoping someone had an idea or maybe had seen it before. The first visit was over 300$ so we're a bit set back.
Does anyone have an idea of what i could apply to it just to hold her over until i can get her in? I know not to use something she can lick off but i want to help it heal somehow.

Does anyone have an idea of what i could apply to it just to hold her over until i can get her in? I know not to use something she can lick off but i want to help it heal somehow.

She's going to lick off anything you put on it. As long as it's not a fresh burn that is still hot to the touch, I think coconut oil would be okay to put on it, but I'm not a doctor, but have used it for my pets. Any oil on a fresh serious burn is never advised, because it kind of cooks the flesh. But I've used it on my sunburns in the past, and it was very soothing.

You'd have to buy one of those stretchy vet bandages, the kind that stick to themselves, and make sure it's not on too tight to stop circulation. The cat will try to get it off like dogs and cats do, so you'll have to reapply the coconut oil and bandage repeatedly if that happens. Something like this. https://www.amazon.com/3M-Vetrap-Sin...S5HXEGVJQ939T2

Coconut oil is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral and very soothing to the skin, does not sting. Those bandages come in rolls and can be bought in some pet stores, walmart or even directly from a vet's office. Good luck.

Hello friends, I came back to update. I've used coconut oil on her toes and it seems to actually be helping, but I wanted to post her x-rays just to get some more eyes on them. 2017-07-29.jpg
If anyone has seen this before I'd appreciate knowing what caused it, even if it is getting better.
I also want to thank everyone who has replied so far, especially Alpha1 for the coconut oil idea.